Midnight Interlude
by da-mouse
Summary: She was cold, always would be. He couldn't change it. -YohxAnna- [angst fic] - Completed
1. Chapter 1: Cold

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Shaman King, I won't have to bother about writing fanfiction now, would I?   
  


**Note**: Yes, ff.net hates me. Insisted on hating me. Let's hope the posting is successful this time around. 

Midnight Interlude  
written by: da*mouse ®  
  


Chapter 1: Cold_  
  
  
_

It was night. 

She stood in the blowing, chilly wind. It was a cold, cold night, but yet, not cold enough to snow. She closed her eyes, and felt the wind whipping through her hair, the bitter cold biting into her skin, her bare arms and legs. 

She wasn't wearing a jacket, she didn't need one. This was her element, the icy coldness. Her element, her world, her persona.

Her. 

She grew, she survived through it, in it. 

_Cold_.

That she had always been. And saw herself as always will be. 

And it didn't bother her. 

She saw nothing wrong with being cold. Indifferent. Detached. 

There was nothing wrong with the way she was. 

It was by choice.

There was no need to draw on anything else.

_It was by choice_.

The wind blew harder, the knife-like iciness almost cutting into her skin. Yet she didn't flinch, didn't move, didn't feel the pain. Continued standing there, allowing. 

She was incapable of feeling _anything_, including pain. 

_Cold_. 

Time passed, she didn't know how long she had been standing in the cold. All she knew that she felt…almost peaceful. Being out there, in the wintry night. 

_It was her_. 

Behind her, there was a flicker of light, indicating that someone had switched on the porch light.

The door creaked opened. 

A shadow fell.

Her fiancé. 

She continued standing rigidly against the wind. Giving no indication she knew he was there. Paying him no attention. 

He walked up to her, and placed a coat around her slim shoulders. 

Still she didn't move, nor did she turn around. 

"Anna, come in. It's cold." He urged. 

"Let me be." 

He sighed, a wisp of cloud escaping his mouth, and then he was silent.

They stood in the cold, neither moving nor speaking. He was the one who then turned to leave. "Good night," he said softly. 

There was no answer from her. 

He pushed open the door, and paused for a moment, looking at her. As always, wondering what he could do. And as always, having no answer. 

She chose that moment to turn around, and caught the pained expression on his face. 

Her own face was expressionless, as she turned away from him and once again faced the bitter night and wind. 

_Cold_.

A quiet thud told her that she was alone again in the dark. 

Left alone.

By choice. 

She felt something then, stabbing at her chest. Bringing on the sensation that the harsh wind failed to produce within her.

Pain.

_Pain_.

She closed her eyes, and let the jacket slipped off her shoulders. 

She still couldn't feel the cold. 

_I'm sorry, Yoh._

  
-To be continued-  
  


da*mouse ®  
posted 4th November 2003  
12.28 a.m.

Yes, I am depressed. Yes, I hate exams. Yes, there's no point in writing this. 

Would be something of a three-part, aimed to be completed before my first freaking paper on freaking Friday. All three chapters would be freakingly short, though. Yes, I am a freak. A depressed one.

Urm, would it be too much to ask to review/comment/flame/whatever? 

P.S. Yes, Yoh is very OOC, sorry about that. And would be even more so in time to come…sigh. If depression lessens, I'll probably delete this fic. It's depressing to write an OOC Yoh that is OOC in a negative way, if you get what I mean…

  
  



	2. Chapter 2: Bitter

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Shaman King, I won't have to bother about writing fanfiction now, would I? 

**Note**: This is a repost – thanks to all reviewers whose reviews were already lost – I've saved them and would be thanking each of you in the last and final chapter. FF.net hates me, and won't let me correct the chapter screw-up so I had to delete and repost. Your reviews are really very very much appreciated to this depressed author. Thank you.   
  


Midnight Interlude  
written by: da*mouse ®  
  


Chapter 2: Bitter_  
  
  
_

He stood in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of hot green tea, his eyes fixed on the window in front of him. Where the dark nightscape laid. 

He knew she was out there. 

Lately she had been acting strangely; disappearing after dinner, not even bothering to order him to wash the dishes. Simply disappear, and soon he found out where. 

Standing in the winter night. Being out there in the cold.

Alone.

_Alone_.

She thought he didn't know. But he did. 

Quietly, he watched as she slipped out every night, standing out there, for an indefinite amount of time. Always standing there, facing the night, and nothing else.

No movement.

Motionless. 

A statue; an ice queen. That everyone said she was. 

The icy itako that he knew, from the mere age of ten, that would become his partner in marriage, in life, and in everything. 

Even though she didn't love him.

Even though he…did…

Living with her…was an emotional struggle at times, even for him. She was…the one girl that could make him switched his moods, abandoned his lazy philosophies, turned his happy-go-lucky world upside down. 

Her.

It was always her. 

And yet, she could never see.

Insisted on being cold. For the cold was part of her. 

He could not warm her.

She wouldn't let him into her cold world, the world only she herself existed in. 

No matter how hard he tried. 

_No matter how hard he tried_.

Looking down at the cup of tea he held in his hand, he suddenly had a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

Bitter.

He poured more hot water into his cup, and sipped the tea again.

Still bitter. 

Setting down the cup, he walked out of the kitchen and into his bedroom, taking out a warm jacket after pulling a sweater over his head.  

Pushing the front door open, the cold wind hit him in his face, and he winced. He stood for a minute, looking at the slim profile of his fiancée. 

She gave no response to the fierce night wind. 

She knew he was there, and made no move to acknowledge him.

Taking brisk steps, he strode towards her and put the jacket on her shoulders, keeping his hands there. 

"Anna, come in. It's cold." He urged. 

Her reply was quick, emotionless. "Let me be."

His hands dropped to his sides, and he sighed.

It was expected. She would turn him away, and he would go.

As always.

_As always._

Slowly, he opened the front door, and paused, still looking at her. The statue in her unfroze, and she turned slightly. There was no expression on her beautiful face.

But he caught emotions flitting in those dark eyes, before she again resumed her position against the wind.

He shut the door.

The house was quiet. Lonely. 

He picked up the abandoned teacup. His tea had turned cold.

Nevertheless, he took a long sip.

_Anna…_

The tea was still bitter. 

  
-To be continued-  
  


da*mouse ®  
posted 5th November 2003  
9.22 a.m.

**Mummy Ringo**: Yes, poor nezumi is depressed because daddy wouldn't teach me accounting and prefer to spend his time playing with mummy. *wails* Anyway, glad that mummy likes this fic [at least to some point :P] and yes, it is going to be short, because nezumi's exam schedule and depression wouldn't allow anything else. Sad…

**shirayuri**: thanks for the constructive feedback. Yes, I don't agree with my interpretation of Yoh and Anna either, but I **am** depressed, although that was not an excuse. Glad you at least sort-of like it, for all the crappiness it stood for. Thanks again. 

**Eneri**: mouse is depressed, yup. :( Thanks for reading and reviewing! As for Vestige…check with Apple-chan. :P Hehe.

**Shy-Lil-Dreamer, GoddessLD, KISS, Sara164**: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. 

*

Before anyone screams at me for turning Yoh into what he was, my deepest apologies. Yoh gets depressed too, right? Or that if he doesn't, I shall MAKE him depressed to accompany yours truly, as I already did, bwahahahha.

Depressed and turning insane, what a combination.

Anyway, please review/comment/flame/whatever, as long as you think I deserve it. :P 

Thank you.

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3: Interlude

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Shaman King, I won't have to bother about writing fanfiction now, would I? 

**Note**: Last chapter. Yay!   
  


Midnight Interlude  
written by: da*mouse ®  
  


Chapter 3: Interlude_  
  
  
_

It was late, she supposed. 

Midnight.

The skies were as black as ink, the wind still howling, pulling, tugging at her. With an abrupt motion, she turned, heading for the house. 

The jacket he brought for her laid in a heap on the stone-cold ground. It didn't occur to her to pick it up, so she left it where it was. 

The house was really dim, as dark as the midnight skies.  She knew, presumably, he had gone to bed, and far long before. 

But she was wrong. 

As she passed by the kitchen, she was startled by his voice.

"Anna." He said simply. 

She stopped just outside the door, indicating that she had heard him, but made no move to look at him. 

He approached her, gripping a teacup in his hands. His dark brown hair was spiky and uncombed, his appearance disheveled. 

"What is it?" She said, keeping her eyes straight ahead, her tone brusque. 

"I should be asking you that question." He said. 

"Nothing." Her reply was calm, smooth, and quick. 

"Don't lie to me, Anna." 

It was then she swerved around to face him, her eyes glittering, her fists clenched. "Don't judge me."  

"I just want to know, what's wrong." He said, his own tone calm, and matching the control in hers. 

For once.  

"Nothing." Anger laced her voice. She glared at him, and moved to go. But he caught her wrist with a quick movement. 

"Why?" His voice was slightly raised, that one single word bellying everything he felt, and she knew.  

She whirled around again, and shook her hand free with a fierce gesture. "Shut up, Yoh." 

He started, and she cut him off with a deathly look. Turning, she began to ascend the stairs, only to be stopped by his voice.

"It's cold out there, isn't it?" 

_Cold_.

The hand rested on the stair banister trembled slightly at his words. But her posture was rigid, unyielding. 

"I don't know. I can't feel it." She said curtly. 

He walked towards her slowly, the cup still in his hand. He held it out to her. 

"The tea is bitter. I've added water, and it's still bitter." He said simply. 

_Bitter_. 

She gripped the banister so hard that her knuckles whitened.

"Anna…"

The hand fell limply to her sides. 

A slight tremble of her shoulders, and then she was still. Motionless. 

Moving forward, he put an arm around her waist, and pulled her to him with one swift gesture, his other hand on the side of her golden head, pressing her to his side. 

Surprisingly, she didn't resist, but she didn't reciprocate either. He held on to her for a few moments, until she stiffened, and then pushed him away. Without a word, she began climbing the stairs again.

"Anna, don't turn away." He called, a despairing tone in his voice.

She paused. 

The wind howled, descending upon the silence that transpired between him and her. 

_Cold_.

"I can't feel…the cold…" She whispered, almost inaudibly. 

He heard. 

"It's all right…." He began, and then she cut him off. 

"Don't you understand? I can't feel." A desolate tone. Lost. 

_Can't. Feel. _

_Anything_. 

He understood. 

"Let me be with you." He said. 

_Let me…be with you._

A long silence followed his words. 

And she rejected him.  

"No."

_She would turn him away. And he would go. _

She reached her room, pushed open the door, and shut it with a thud. He was left at the bottom of the stairs, staring upwards. 

They were separated. 

He put down the cup, and almost mechanically, walked to the front door. He shoved it opened, and walked out to the cold. The wind ruffled his hair, clawing into his skin, the icy sensation stabbing at him. 

He saw the jacket on the footpath. Left there. 

Bending down, he picked it up, pressing it to his face. 

_Cold. Bitter. Pain_.

She saw him out there, through her window. She saw him picked up the jacket she had left behind. And she saw him kneeling there, where she had once stood.  

She turned away, crumpling into a heap. 

_It was my choice._

The tears would not, and could not, come. 

  
-Finis-  
  


da*mouse ®  
posted 7th November 2003  
5.50 a.m.  
  


**Mummy Ringo**: Yup, that's the end of my first completed fic. And Anna _did_ remain cold – whether it's her choice or not, I'll leave it to Mummy Ringo [and the rest of the readers] to interpret. ^_^ Thanks so much for Mummy's continued support: Nezumi appreciates every single bit of it. 

**Kat**: Thank you so much for the lengthy review, and thank you for all the thoughts you put into this crappy piece of work. I'm glad you enjoyed my writing, but unfortunately, this is really turning out to be that kind of ambiguous fic that you don't prefer…sorry. I can't really explain and frankly, I don't plan to explain…I hope this is not too great a disappointment for you. I really appreciate all the constructive advice, and will be keeping everything in mind the next time I write. 

**Shirayuri**: Thanks again for the great advice – hmm, you and **Kat** seemed to differ on the OOC-ness of Yoh, although I myself thought he's rather out of his usual characteristics, heh. Sorry for that choppy writing thing…I tried to tone it down a little…but then again, I don't know when is too much…hope it won't spoil the reading for you. Once again, THANK YOU. I appreciate every word of your review.

**unpredictable.l**: Thank you for so generously supporting my fic in spite of the OOC-ness of the characters. ^_^ Hope the final installment of this fic will satisfy you. 

**Shy-Lil-Dreamer, Ice Wave, Itako No Anna Asakura, Mafaldyna, GoddessLD, KISS, ****Chris-Redfield26, CheetorX, Mouse-kun**: Thank you so so so much for reading and reviewing. It means a lot to me. 

*

Completed, and it won't be continued unless demands are too high and I felt too guilty. Personally, I would leave it the way it is. I don't really know what drove me to wrote this ending – even with depression and all, I **did** want to end it happy happy…but it…just…doesn't go, I guess. 

Okay, I think I am going to get killed though, so bring it on! *_* 

Once again, apologies for the lousy characteristics of Yoh and Anna. I promise not to write again when I am depressed – at least, I won't publish it. 

  
  
  



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